The reliving Ending of The Phoenix
by Dark.Priestress
Summary: An other alternate ending of X3. This time a bit more 'real' i hope...


**The relieving Ending of The Phoenix**

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, although I would love to… But they're still just

borrowed.

Spoiler: Some spoilers of X2 and X3 but not much.

A.N.: This is my second version of the X3 ending. I'd like to thank AliasSpyCrazy,

Apocalypse90, sasusakunejitenten4eva, simoman, Osage, Dark Phoenix Rising,

phoenixphantasie, X-MENCHARMEDGAL-05, WhiteDragonWolf,

Courteney37, BlueTigress, Aeden Hale and Sammy-Girl001 for their reviews on

my last version (please don't be mad if I spelled some names wrong… I mean

where do you come up with some of them?)

Please review this one, too. I hope you'll like it… It's a bit more… real… I hope.

Enjoy! Yours Dark.Priestress

"You would die for them?" Phoenix asked sarcastically. "No" Logan said with a stain voice "Not for them, for you!" The Phoenix went out of the woman's face in front of him and Logan could look deep into Jean Grey's desperate eyes. "Save me" she whispered. The pain seemed to overwhelm her again.

"What am I supposed to do now?" Logan thought. "I have to save her… but how?" He desperately wracked his mind for a conclusion.

The Phoenix took one step back and rose her arms half way into the air. "This is so fun." She said and for a moment it seemed as if she would smile but the expression of her eyes did not fit to that smile. They were cold and empty.

"Fun…" Logan thought. But then his eyes widened. "Fun!" he thought again. Suddenly he remembered a conversation he had had with the Professor some time ago. He remembered him saying something about the Phoenix being the complete opposite of the Jean Grey, who always gains control of herself. This other side of hers is unpredictable and only consists of joy, desire and rage.

"Maybe… I could use that desire…" Logan's brain was working feverishly. He had to find a trigger to intensify that desire to let it overwhelm the Phoenix so Jean could gain control over her body again.

Suddenly a thought popped into Logan's mind.

The storm around them swelled, water was rising from the bay around them.

The Phoenix took her arms down and looked around. Her gaze rested on Logan. He made a step forward. He could feel his skin removing from his flesh and reform itself almost at the same time. He could feel the pain that drew through his body but he didn't pay too much attention to it. He had only one thing in his mind. Only one thing that he cared about at the moment: Saving Jean.

He wanted to take another step to approach the Phoenix but he couldn't move. She tried to stop him, to force him to give up and leave her with the control over that strong body and mind of Jean Grey's. "Leave it!" she said "It's too late. You can't stop me anymore. She was too weak to fight against me and you little fool won't stop me now. I'm too strong. It's over!" The Phoenix rose her arms and pointed them in Logan's direction. An other stream of her power caught him and he seemed to loose his grip. "No" he thought "It can't end like this" He folded his arms in front of his head to protect his face. "Jean, I love you and I will save you. What ever it takes!"

Driven by this thought he found the strength to step forward.

"You will not give up, will you?" The Phoenix asked sarcastically. "No I won't. Never!" Logan yelled. Laughing, the Phoenix tried to strengthen her powers… but she couldn't… Logan approached nearer and nearer but she couldn't stop him. "What is this?" she asked panicking. Unbelieving, she looked down at her hands. What was happening? She had infinite powers. So why couldn't she strengthen them now?

Logan used the moment of Phoenix's disbelieve and, at one go, grabbed the woman by her shoulders. He looked her deep into the eyes. They still were cold but also filled with fear and disbelieve.

"What is happening?" she asked again. Logan did not pay attention to her commentary. He concentrated and then said stain, with all the love and strength he could put into his voice at the moment: "Jean, I know you're still in there and I know you can hear me. So listen: I love you. I would give my live for you so please come back to me. I know you can do it. You're stronger than you think. You can do it. You hear me? I LOVE YOU!"

But nothing happened.

The Phoenix grinned "You fool. Did you really think that only by saying that…" but she paused abruptly.

Inside The Phoenix's/Jean Grey's head

Phoenix: Why don't you just leave it? It's too late…

_Jean: It's never too late…_

But I've got all the power now. You, are just the annoying side effect.

_There were times when that was different._

Yes, and those were boring times. I like it better this way.

_I believe so. But our powers are too strong. Sooner or later they will overwhelm you. They will kill you!_

I'm not you, Jean. I'm stronger. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. Nobody on this stupid earth will ever be able to stop me. Especially not your little friend with the claws… or these ridiculous humans with their guns and their rage against us mutants.

_And why do you think humans fear us?_

Because they're stupid and afraid that they will not be on top of the Evolution anymore and…

_No. that's probably not all. They fear us because of people like you. As longer as I listen to you the more clear it gets, how similar you are to those humans you fear…_

WHAT? I am not in any way like these idiotic weak little creatures…

Out in the 'real' world again

The last comment Jean had just made, made the Phoenix furious. The storm around Logan and her was rising enormously. Logan looked around. More water was rising from the bay and all kinds of things were flying through the air. "What the hell is happening?" he asked himself. He had taken some steps away from Jean earlier but now he approached her again. The body had not been moving for some time. Her eyes were closed and she almost looked like a statue. "How can I just help her?"

"Jean. Whatever you're doing, keep going and please hurry. Things are getting worse out here." He said to her. He wasn't entirely sure if she could hear him nor if it would help her but it was the best he could do for now. He would have to wait…

Inside their head again

Logan's voice is echoing through their minds carrying his words of support.

Phoenix: Ohh that's so cute of him. I will make him my pet…

_Jean: At least I have someone who cares about me._

I also do. I have friends out there. But mine are way stronger that yours are…

_Oh, you consider Magneto and his lot as you 'friends'? Poor girl…_

Why do you call **me** poor girl? I don't think you're in the position of doing so…

_Phoenix, these aren't friends. Friends care about each other. They help each other instead of using them for their goals to reach._

Magneto cares about me more than you think. He helped me but your so called 'friend' the 'Professor' just wanted to control me. He wanted to capture me again like everyone else does. He thought you were better than me. More intelligent and…

_No he didn't and you also are intelligent. And you can show me and the rest of the world how intelligent you are by letting me control my body again…_

Your body? It's always you, right? I will not let you oppress me so easily.

_You do not want to understand, will you? All our power is too much for this body and for our minds. Sooner or later the powers will corrupt us. None of us will be able to survive._

That's cute. You've mentioned it before, you know? But I still do not believe you. And again I tell you: I am stronger than you!

_You think so, do you? But I will have to disappoint you, I'm sorry._

What do you mean?

_You've not always been around when I was talking to the Professor, you know._

You knew of me?

_Of course I did. The Professor had told me of you and sometimes I nearly could feel you inside of me. As I told the Professor that you grew stronger he told me how to gain control over you again…_

I don't believe you!

_And why is that?_

If you knew how to stop me all this time along, you would have stopped me right at the beginning when I killed your stupid boyfriend… and at the latest when I killed the Professor…

_You think you've killed him? Than you really are more stupid than I thought you could be…_

What do you mean? Of course I've killed him. You must have seen it, too. What game are you playing…?

_This is not a game, dear, that's real live. And I can beat you!_

Jean Grey concentrated… She went trough her entire memory of the last 30 years, spotting memories of many different kinds of emotions and mentally projected them all around in her mind, for Phoenix to see. Overwhelmed by all these different kinds of emotions, she would never be able to feel, the Phoenix retreated fearfully. To give her the final shot, Jean now concentrated on her feelings for Logan. Love spread out all around them. Slowly, the Phoenix's powers weakened, Jean grew stronger again.

No! This cannot be. How do you do this?

_I told you I could beat you. That is your only weak point. You only consist of joy, desire and rage, but life is more than that…_

Outside in the 'real' world again

The woman in front of him moved. Logan grabbed her by her shoulders again. "Jean? Jean is that you?" The woman opened her eyes, but it was not Jean who looked at him it still was the Phoenix, but she looked different… fearful…

"No" she said and looked around herself in fear. "No" she repeated and looked Logan into the eyes. "This can't be…"but she couldn't say anything else.

Logan loosened his grip and she tumbled back a bit. Not knowing what was happening he took a few steps back himself. "Just in case…" he thought.

"No!" the Phoenix said again, louder this time, and she suddenly uttered a pointed cry. She rose a few inches into the air. Her head fell aback, her arms flew in the air and her whole body seemed to go up in flames.

At one go, the flames rose up and vanished with a suffocated scream. Jean's body fell down onto the floor. Still astonished, Logan managed to move and kneeled beside the motionless body. Carefully, he took her head between his hands and gently rested it on his leap.

Around them the storm lowered, the dust was floating slowly to the ground and the water dropped back into the bay. The sky lightened up a bit but still Jean wasn't moving. Logan bent down and whispered:" Jean? Jean can you her me? Please, if you can, give me a sign that you're alive…" He put his fingertips on her throat "Thank god, a pulse!" he uttered relieved. He gently lifted her into his arms and went away from the scene of the horror.

a few days later –

Jean was lying in her bed in the X-mansion. Logan was sitting on a chair next to her bed. He had fallen asleep but his hands were still holding one of Jean's.

Ororo entered the room. "He's so cute…" she thought amused as she watched the scene. She approached him slowly and kneeled beside him. She gently jolted his arm. "Logan… Logan?" she whispered. "Logan, wake up!" Logan jerked and looked around confused. It took him a while to recover where he was. "Strom, what is it?" he asked and his head spun around to take a look at Jean. She was still asleep. "You need to rest in your own bed. And you have to eat, Logan." Ororo said concerned. "I will stay with her." She added. Logan shook his head. "No, I will stay here." He said.

"She's been like that for almost a week. How do we know she's fine?" Ororo asked. "I know that she's fine…" Logan said. "She keeps telling me from time to time". "Logan, I think you are overtired…" "No I'm not. She really is talking to me, mentally" he said. Ororo turned away in disbelieve.

"He's right Storm…" she heard Jean's voice inside her head. She turned around and watched the motionless body in front of her. "I'm fine. I just need some more time to recover. I need to restore my memories and physical abilities. Don't worry about me." The voice was gone. "You see? I told you she could" Logan said. Jean had told him that she talked to Ororo. "All right" She confessed "But you'll come down with me right now and eat. It's Lunchtime. The kids are waiting for you…" Reluctant, Logan got up and followed Storm down to the Dining-room.

Some time later, Logan traversed the Hallway, heading from the Dining-room back to Jean's bedroom. He hadn't eaten much but he wasn't hungry at all. He reached the stairs and turned to climb them up… but he stopped abruptly and looked up in disbelieve.

Jean was standing on top of the stairs in her white, thin nightgown, looking like a mixture between a ghost and an angel but amazingly beautiful.

She smiled at Logan who still wasn't moving. He was stunned but then climbed up the stairs quickly. Reaching the top, he wrapped his arms around Jean and held her tight. Relieved that she was fine, he closed his eyes. "Hi" she whispered. "Hi" he whispered back.

After a while, Logan loosened his embrace and looked at Jean, also smiling. "I thought I'd lost you" he said. "You nearly had" she admitted. "I'm glad you're alive" he said "Well, I'm very glad, too. Believe me…" she replied. Both of them laughed and then kissed deeply passionate.

Well, what do you think? I hope you liked it at least a bit. So please review now!

I rated this fic 'complete' but I might go on a little bit… please tell me if you'd like to read a bit more, cause it's you all I keep writing for!

Yours Dark.Priestress


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